Making a Run Down to Key West

Still in Florida – we took a little break from our boat search and got back onto the water for 10 fantastic days. Our friend Rick Garton asked if we would mind taking his Fathom, Wishing Star, from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. How could we refuse such an offer? So the day after the Trawler Fest we worked our way through the busy ICW of metro Miami; we were headed 17 miles southeast to the Island of Boca Chita. If you’re heading south in this area Boca Chita is where the Florida Keys really start and we have always wanted to return to this island paradise! In a well-protected palm tree-lined cove, with a break-wall, there is room for up to 20 boats to dock – it’s a great spot to stop for a day or two. We climbed up the winding stairs of the lighthouse and walked the beach and the island trail all while having picture-perfect weather.

We stayed two days at Boca Chita before we headed south through the rest of Biscayne Bay, past Jew Fish Creek and Key Largo and finally caught one of the three, free mooring balls on the southwest side of Shell Island. The night air was still and as calm as could be, which always makes for a great night on a mooring ball or even on the hook. The beautiful part of this stop for us on this night was that that the western sky was completely unobstructed – no boats, no artificial lights, no buildings, just one of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen. The best part was that the colors just kept getting better well after the sun actually set, turning the sky into a glowing, burning, orangish red.

Next stop was Marathon, where we stayed at Harbour Bay Boat Club for two nights. We wanted to stop in here to visit quite a few of the boating friends we have met and cruised with over the last 6 years. Many find their way back to Marathon because it’s a favorite spot for many in the boating community, sail, and power alike. We had a chance to catchup with Wade and Susie form New Bern, NC, Scott and Cyndi from Houghton, MI, Larry and Margie from New York and Robert and Kay from Southport, NC. I mention this for the simple reason that we all met because of boating and it never mattered what kind of boat any of us had or where we were from it was more about sharing our mutual passion of boating or how could we be of help to each other. This is one of the things we have missed during our boating hiatus.

After our two-day stay in Marathon, our last run was under the Seven Mile Bridge out into Hawks Channel and finally down to Key West. Four hours later, we were tied up at A&B Marina in the Historic Key West Bight. All told we had four of the best water travel days we could have asked for and were glad Rick made us the offer to take his boat to Key West. It was just the boating fix we needed. We can’t wait to get back on the water in our new boat – a trailerable trawler.